Total Eclipse of the Heart
by huddybones
Summary: What happens when your past chases you, and you have hurt and have been hurt beyond what you ever thought possible? Is there a way to regain trust, love? And if it is, which is the cost?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic in years and English is not my mother tongue so please take it into consideration when you read this. The story is set in season 8 after House got his ankle monitor removed and before Wilson got cancer. It isn't very Huddish at first but I promise you it'll get better, only that this chapters are necessary for the storyline. That said, please read, enjoy and review (:**

* * *

Lisa Cuddy looked up as she heard a knock in her door.

-"Sorry to bother you Dr. Cuddy but there's this man that keeps insisting in seeing you"-

She wasn't expecting anyone and in fact, she'd been hoping no one appeared in her office that afternoon, as she wanted to finish work before going home for the weekend; otherwise she'll probably spend part of her Saturday reading and signing monthly reports.

-"It's ok, let him in. Who is he by the way?"- She asked as her assistant turned around to leave.

-"Oh, about that, he wouldn't say his name but he said something about knowing you, should I let him in anyway?"-

-"Yes, could you take these, please?"-

She handled her a couple of files and waited for the mysterious man, she couldn't imagine who he was, as very few people knew she was here, in California.  
Moments later her doorknob turned after a soft knock. A man in his early forties stepped into the office and closed the door behind him.

-"Hello Cuddy, I know it's been a long time but I really need to talk to you now"-

* * *

_Cutlery against the dishes.  
Talk.  
Footsteps.  
Silence.  
And then shattering glass.  
__Snapping wood.  
Loud bangs as furniture took the impact.  
Then came the dust, filling eyes and nostrils. You could taste it. It choked.  
And when the haze cleared slightly a car door opening.  
A man handling her a hair brush. _

Cuddy woke up startled. She looked around and when she finally realized there wasn't any car in her bedroom or clouds of dust around she started to calm down. Finally she noticed the alarm clock was buzzing annoyingly. She put it off and rested her head in her pillow for another minute or so.

She had been having nightmares for the first few months after the incident, then they'd slowly started to fade away. But now they'd returned. It was as if her past refused to leave her alone. Sighing she remembered the day she had ahead and using all her willpower she finally got out of bed.

After getting Rachel and herself ready for the day and dropping the little girl at her school she arrived at the hospital. However her day couldn't have started worse. First of all a psychiatric patient out of control had decided to attack the glass door of one of the offices with a chair, with the obvious result of an injured patient and a destroyed expensive glass. She had barely looked at the disastrous scene when she was called from the E.R to supervise the derivation of patients to the closest hospital as the E.R's capacity was exceeded and they couldn't take care of all the victims of a snow-caused pileup. As she was almost finishing her task a doctor approached her.

-"Hello Dr. Cuddy, have you got a moment?"-

-"Sure"-

Cuddy knew instinctively this couldn't be good news at all.

-"The patient vomited, we gave him meds, but we're still looking for the cause"-

-"Any theories yet?"-

-"His symptoms are still too unspecific, however we already ordered some x-rays and a change in his diet"-

-"I understand, well thank you anyway Dr. Cadwell, please let me know as soon as you've got them back"-

-"You're welcome"-

The doctor turned around and left.

Cuddy knew it'll be better to keep her distance from this case. You can't keep objectivity with certain patients and nightmares was the last thing she wanted to have back in her life. She definitely needed some peace, but that is the last thing you find in an E.R, so she resignedly returned her attention to the bed before her.

-"Who's in charge of patient 53?"

* * *

Cuddy sat in front of her desk, her mind filled with small thoughts about everything. She was exhausted, that was the truth. Ever since she'd left Princeton her life had turned into an unstopping whirlwind from which she couldn't see the way out. And like to confirm her thoughts the phone started ringing for the umpteenth time that day.

-"Yes?"-

-"Good afternoon Dr. Cuddy, it's Dr. Cadwell"-

-"Oh, something wrong?"-

-"Well, we got the x-rays checked by Dr. Stone, but they aren't conclusive. He ordered a bronchoscopy and blood tests. His O2 saturation is still low"-

-"I understand, please let me know any news"-

-"Sure"-

Cuddy hung the phone and returned her attention to the papers in her desk. It was going to be a very long week.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone! I know it's been almost a year since I last updated this, but in case anyone is still reading it I've got a new chapter. I'm really sorry I abandoned this story, especially after your kind reviews, but even if I can't promise to update it more regularly I swear I'll try (:**

* * *

Cuddy sat back in her chair and looked expectantly at the door. Moments later it opened and the same man almost a week before had visited her entered.

"Hello Lisa, how is everything doing?"

"Well, being honest with you I hadn't expected so many complications here"

"Did the hospital board found out? Are they questioning you?"

"No, thanks god no, but I mean that your brother's medical condition is much more complicated than we thought, he has many symptoms we haven't been able to connect yet, he seems to be getting worse and he isn't precisely our most cooperative patient"

"Look, I'm extremely sorry about all of this, I really wouldn't have bothered you if I didn't thought it was really necessary"

"No, I'm glad you brought him in, he really did needed a doctor"

The man smiled tiredly.

"So, about the money, how much is it so far?"

* * *

Several hours later Cuddy gave up her attempts to sleep, she turned the TV on and, since at 2 am there aren't exactly interesting programs to watch, she was soon deep in thought.

How on earth she had ended up doing this? She had left New Jersey looking for a much needed peace that would allow her to rebuild her life, with a much less complicated job and therefore more time for Rachel. And now here she was, helping an ex-boyfriend off the record and trying not to get caught in a past she thought long forgotten. She wasn't exactly sure why she had agreed to this, perhaps a little bit of curiosity, perhaps some compassion, perhaps just because of reminders of other times; however she couldn't wait to be done with it, although she could tell almost for sure there were some long days ahead before that happened.

* * *

"So how is our patient doing?"

Dr. Cadwell shook his head, which was never a good sign.

"He still has digestive problems despite the new diet, his O2 saturation improved but is still beyond normal and that's just because we're keeping him on oxygen, he keeps complaining from the abdominal pain and now he can barely move his legs"

Cuddy bit her lower lip.

"What do you think we should do now?"

"I must admit I'm quite puzzled by this case. We've already asked every single doctor in this hospital and none has been of any help. I really think we should start with plan B."

"Which is...?"

"Consult with some expert diagnostician... our patient keeps getting worse and I don't want to wait until he's dying to start looking for help"

Cuddy felt panic starting to fill her, she had feared this would happen ever since every single test came back negative, but she had really hoped it wouldn't be necessary. She swallowed and nodded, hoping Dr. Cadwell hadn't noticed her hesitation.

"I'll start looking for someone who agrees to come over and take his case"

"Didn't you use to work with Dr. Gregory House? I've heard he is not exactly the nicest doctor but his diagnoses are almost like magic"

* * *

**I hope you've liked it, and I think you now have a better idea of how the plotline will go.**


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